Friday, February 27, 2009

Overheard in My Kitchen


"Champ, you can blow yourself."

Pause

*SNORT!*

-Me, to Champ, after listening to him whine about needing me to blow on his tomato soup.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Deep Thoughts: The Snuggie


I know, I know. I feel like I'm officially on the bandwagon now. But this Snuggie-mania is out of control. People are rabid for it, in a completely mocking "I-can't-wait-to-tell-my-friends-that-I-bought-one-everyone-is-gonna-pee-their-pants" kinda way. Personally, I'm not so enthused. It's not that I don't get it, duh, it's just not that funny to me. And here's why:

Isn't it just a backwards bathrobe? This occurred to me when, after I put on my robe, my son asked me to put his blanket around his shoulders and commented "I wish my blanket had arms." Apparently the creator of the Snuggie also has a 4 year old.

So yeah, Snuggies are lame. We all knew this already. But my 4 year old really wants one, and I'm willing to bet my mother does too. So maybe they are onto something.

UPDATE:

Now, like I said, I'm late to this Snuggie craze, and apparently my thoughts on this are not original (lots of naughty words on this video, not for pussies):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h05ZQ7WHw8Y&feature=related


Friday, February 13, 2009

Janeabelle's Top Ten List About Being Home Alone



10. The quiet that enables one to finish a thought, write a list, read an email.

9. Napping.

8. Not having to meet demands, answer questions, and say no!

7. Vacuuming without screams, panic and 2 young boys trying to beat the vacuum to death with golf clubs.

6. Picking up around the house without having to worry about everything being taken out again or a new mess being created behind you.

5. Watching TV without interruptions.

4. Reading. Not the same page over and over, but actual progress.

3. Eating without anyone mooching half of it off or plate or gagging so loudly and persistently that you can't even eat it anymore.

2. Taking a shower and putting on lotion without having to worry about anyone barging in and asking you what "those hanging things" are.

1. How nice it is to have them all come back home again.


Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Octuplets

Wow. Octuplets. Can you even imagine? How incredible and insane and amazing to have 8 babies growing inside you. The human body is an amazing thing to be capable of such a feat.

This woman, Nadya Suleman, who recently became famous for giving birth to octuplets is not, I believe, a bad person. I admire her courage. I admire her for not "selectively reducing" her pregnancy. She may, however, have some issues with attachment and love, but I don't think that she's a bad mother because of it. She may not be able to give those babies everything in the world, but it seems that she loves them, and their 6 other siblings, very much.

I find fault with the media in this situation, who have vilified this woman. Made her out to be insane, incapable, and fame-hungry. I'm also disgusted that companies like Huggies, Inafamil, Graco and the like have publicly said they will not be helping this woman with donations for her new brood. Maybe we don't agree with her decisions, don't understand why she's choosing to create such a large family with little help, and maybe in our eyes this situation is not one we would want to be in, but are these companies and the media punishing the mother and as a result hurting the babies? That's what I see. I see a family who could desperately use some help from all over, but because of the unconventional circumstances, those who are in a position to help are pulling away.

It's discrimination, and it disgusts me. These poor little babies don't deserve to be neglected. The mother should have considered her circumstances before going ahead with the decision to create so many babies, but regardless of how they arrived on this planet, all babies are a gift from God and should be treated as such.

I don't know, I may change my mind about some of these details later, but I won't change my mind about this woman needing help, and I will forever be ashamed of those who turned their backs on her.

Pray for her and all 14 of her children.


Saturday, February 07, 2009

Still Alive

Yeah, I'm still around. My husband and I went on a little vacation last weekend to Scottsdale, AZ. Technically, my husband was there for a conference and I really didn't see much of him, but it was still lovely. I should note that we left the children behind. I threw some Cheerios down. They were fine.

We went out to dinner every night. I spend loads of time in bed. I showered and did my hair every day. I shopped alone and scored a pair of divine Michael Kors zebra striped heels for only $40. I toured the most beautiful place on earth, and my future home, Sedona. It was absolutely restorative, particularly the Sonoran Sands Body Scrub & Massage.

Now I'm back, and after only 7 days that vacation feels like it was months ago. All that sleep that I thought I was storing up on, completely wiped away. Sigh. Anyway, I've been trying to muster up my creative juices to blog a little, but I guess I don't have any... So I'm going to lame-out and make a little list of things that I like.

  • I like sunshine & being outside. Who knew? I'm kind of a couch potato and I'm as shocked by this news as the rest of you.
  • I like having a giant mug of hot chocolate just sitting on my counter, like all day. I reheat it at least a dozen times managing to take a few sips before getting pulled away to the next disaster.
  • I like reading other people's blogs, but only if they're really snarky, bitchy & funny.
  • I like my husband's whims & odd quirks. Dude doesn't often come out of his shell, but when he does, we're having a good time and spending money (another thing I like).
  • I like reading. I really prefer chic-lit and romance novels. Escapist stuff. But I'm in a book club and I've read a lot of really interesting books that I never would have picked out. That's the point of book clubs I suppose.
  • I like cooking and eating and drinking. I like to do that with friends and wish we went to or threw dinner parties. Not exactly in that place in our lives, but one day.
  • I like taking pictures of flowers and nature. I suppose it's easier than taking pictures of people, but the color of a flower and the way it's captured can be so remarkable to me.

Prickly Pear Cactus; Twisty Red Bark; Juniper Berries
Pictures from Sedona, AZ

  • I like fresh sheets. The smell that envelops you and the crispness. Just thinking about it makes me want to strip my bed and get washing right now.
  • I like my Facebook page. I like updating my status and I love that friends tell me they think I'm funny or interesting. I had a friend who made her status: "Melissa is wondering if anyone else checks facebook sometimes just to see what Janabelle has posted for her status. Always hilarious, S!!" This made my day. I still smile about it.
  • I like watching my 2 year old suck his thumb. He's so sweet.
  • I like Disney movies, obviously not the same one 17 days in a row as the viewers in my house are wont to do, but Disney is so funny!
  • I like the quiet of my house when everyone is napping.
  • I like opening all the windows on the first spring day (soon, very soon!).
  • I like collecting recipes, especially for desserts.


In Sedona, my future home.